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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

JCP: Postal privatization will mean cuts in services with no extra national revenue

The House of Representatives on October 6 began discussing the government bills to privatize the postal system. The bills were rejected in the previous ordinary Diet session and re-submitted in the current extraordinary session.

In criticizing the postal bills, Japanese Communist Party representative Shiokawa Tetsuya said that they will cut back on services for the public.

Referring to Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro's refusal to reveal the details of the privatization plan, Shiokawa pointed out that privatization means an end to charge-free accounts and other banking services. He also refuted the government claim that privatized postal services will pay corporate taxes and help increase tax revenues by pointing out that companies in the red will not pay taxes, and that the present Japan Post can better serve to increase the national coffer.

Takenaka Heizo, minister in charge of postal privatization, insisted on the government policy of privatization, saying that revenue should not be regarded as a mere comparison with the corporate tax.

The Democratic Party of Japan also submitted to the Diet a bill for postal privatization. It complies more with financial circles' requests by proposing to lower the upper limits on postal savings and virtually abolish the post-office life insurance system.

With the Diet discussions beginning, postal and other workers staged a sit-in protest in front of the Diet in opposition to postal privatization. The protesters demanded that the bills be scrapped after a full discussion.

Sunayama Yoichi, Postal Industry Workers' Union (Yusanro) vice chair, stated that the union will do its utmost to defend the post-office network that supports citizens' lives."

Workers from the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and Yusanro assembled in front of Tokyo Station and said to commuters in the morning that the bottomline of postal privatization is slashing services to the people in order to defend the interests of major Japanese and U.S. banks." -- Akahata, October 7, 2005